Every night, Ben and I try to spend few minutes reading for leisure. Most of the time, he reaches for the latest prize-winning nonfiction, and I opt for (surprise!) a cooking magazine. It suits us. He can count on me for an unending supply of fresh dinners like today’s Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles, and I can rest assured that he’ll always have an intelligent topic for us to discuss while we eat them.
Well, except for that one time he was reading about a shipwreck in the Arctic Ocean, and I kept changing the subject. As someone who is freezing when the temperature dips below 68 degrees, I can only handle so much information about surviving amongst ice caps.
Meanwhile, on my side of the bed, the reading material is much warmer. The most recent magazines to land on our doorstep have been filled with gorgeous, glossy photos of a food group that is hitting its peak: VEGETABLES.
Summer is produce primetime. If you’ve been looking to incorporate more veggies into your diet, there could not be a better time of year (or a better recipe!) to begin.
The Making of Healthy Shrimp Scampi
Although I’m conscious of making sure we have vegetables at every meal, with the exception of hearty, main dish salads, I typically serve them on the side versus as the true base of the dish.
After a solid hour of ogling magazine spreads depicting epic, veggie-centric, farm-to-table feasts (including one prepared by the author of my latest cookbook impulse buy), however, I decided that it was time to take my vegetable game one step farther: zucchini noodles.
{Side note: have you ever noticed how many different shapes of glassware and dishware are used in those farm table photo shoots? Does every barn have a bottomless supply of custom pottery and mason jars just waiting to be placed at the table on a casual Tuesday night? If so, I’m a little jealous…of the supply, not the clean up.}
Back to Healthy Shrimp Scampi!
This healthy shrimp recipe a lightened-up, veggie-fied twist on classic shrimp scampi, a dish traditionally made with pasta, butter, lemon, more butter, garlic, and extra butter. I kept the essentials—the garlic, lemon, Parm, and, yes, the butter—but modified the amounts of each to make the recipe more balanced. (Sidenote: My Baked Shrimp Scampi and Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa are two other healthy shrimp recipes inspired by shrimp scampi!)
The biggest, most obvious healthy shrimp scampi swap is that I’ve replaced the traditional pasta noodles with zucchini noodles (a.k.a. zoodles) I made using this spiralizer. I am a relative latecomer to the sprializer game, but I am oh so happy to be here at last.
Not only are the zoodles a healthy, low-calorie, and low-carb option to replace pasta, but their mild flavor can easily adapt to a wide range of flavors, including the heap of lemon and garlic you’ll find in this light shrimp scampi recipe. (Looking to use up more zucchini? Try this fast and easy Zucchini Stir Fry.) Looking to add another boost of veggies? Try serving Oven Roasted Asparagus alongside this recipe)
Recipe Adaptations
- To Add Pasta. If you aren’t ready to go all veg, you can also do a 50-50 blend of zucchini noodles and whole wheat pasta noodles. (Looking for another veg-heavy noodle dish? Garlic Shrimp Pasta or Healthy Shrimp Pad Thai might fit the bill!)
- Shrimp Scampi with Wine. To make the recipe as accessible as possible, I made this healthy shrimp scampi without wine, opting for chicken stock instead. Most shrimp scampi recipes do call for wine, so if you’d like to stick with tradition (or need another good reason to open a bottle), you can certainly add any dry white wine you’d also enjoy sipping alongside your serving.
More Healthy Shrimp Recipes To Enjoy
- Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa
- Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Lemon Shrimp Pasta with Orzo
- Shrimp Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Artichokes
- Healthy Shrimp Alfredo
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
- Spiralizer
- This enamel/cast iron braiser (this is another good, more affordable option)
Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1 pound large raw shrimp peeled and deveined with tails on (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or white wine
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pounds zucchini noodles from about 4 medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the shrimp, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, until the shrimp are beginning to cook but are still somewhat translucent.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, just until the shrimp are completely opaque and cooked through. Stir in the zucchini noodles and parsley. Toss the noodles with the shrimp so that they are coated with the garlic-lemon sauce and heat just until warmed through. (Do not overcook or the zucchini noodles will become mushy.) Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan. Serve warm.
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This recipe was great! I will definitely put it in my meal rotation. I did not have lemon zest so I just used bottled lemon juice. I’m sure it would be even better with fresh lemon juice. I definitely recommend using the white wine. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes. :)
Hi Sophia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!